Charles g



(No Model.)

0. G.- WEBER. ELECTION BOOTH.

' Patented Dec. 15, 1896.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES G. WEBER, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO JACOB H. BROMWELL, OF SAME PLACE.

ELECTION-BOOTH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 573,250, dated December 15, 1896.

Application filed anuary 6,1896. Serial No. 574,507. (No model.)

To (all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES G. WEBER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Election-Booths; and I do hereby declare the followingto be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to booths, but more particularly to folding or knockdown booths for election purposes.

In Australian or similar voting systems a small compartment or series of compartments are provided for the voters, so that the ballots may be privately prepared for delivery to a properly-authorized officer to be cleposited in the ballot-box; but as elections are held at considerable intervals apart it is desirable or necessary to provide a device adapted to be quickly placed into position for use, and which can then be compactly arranged or folded for transportation or storage, as such devices are not generally used for any other purpose than at elections.

The primary object of my invention is to meet the requirements of such voting systems by providing a booth which can be quickly and conveniently placed in position for use at the polling-places, and which may be folded without necessitating the removal or entire disconnection of any section or division of the same, so that it may be readily reduced in sizein order to facilitate its transportation and to require but comparatively little space in storing the same or in keeping it at the polling-places during the intervals between elections.

A further object of the invention is to provide an inexpensive and durable structure which may comprise any number of separate compartments and which may be held and locked when distended and in readiness for use.

With these and other objects in View the invention consists in the construction and combination of the several parts,substantially as will be hereinafter more particularly described, and then pointed out in the claims at the end of the description.

Referring to the accompanying drawings,

forming a part of thisspecification, Figure l 5 is a plan view, on asomewhat reduced scale,

of a slightly-modified form of booth.

In the drawings, A may designate the sides or panels of the compartment or compartments, which may be of any desired number and arranged in any preferred manner. These sides may be of anysuitable material,

but preferably of wood, properly braced, so

as to be light and strong, and have secured at their upperand lower portions the stays or cross-bars B, comprising, preferably, two members 1) 19 of equallength, hinged at b to said sides and to each other by the hinges 6 so that when the sides are to be placed in. p0 sition for transportation or storage the said as shown in Fig. 3, and when the sides are distended the ends Willabut and form a brace, so as to hold the sides separated, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. I

At b are hasps hingedto the members I) of the cross-bars, adapted to he slipped over staples 1), arranged upon the members 17 ad jacent the hinges 11 in order that said members may be rigidly secured together and prevented from folding when the sides are separated for use, the said hasps being preferably provided with a hook I) to prevent the hasp from being released from the staple b Without the disengagement of said hook, though any other suitable means may be employed for securing the ends of the two members of the cross-bars, if desired.

A table or desk 0 may be arranged at a suitable distance from the lower edges of the sides A of each compartment for use in preparing the ballots, and said table is preferably inclined and hinged at one edge, as at o, to one of the sides, and adapted to be secured cross-bars will fold inward upon themselves,

at its free end to the opposite side of the compartment,preferably by a hasp c, staple c and hook 0 similar to that described for securing the ends of the members of the cross bars B, the table or desk thus serving the double purpose of a brace for holding the sides separated and as a convenient support for writing material and the like while preparing the ballots.

The manner of constructing and using the invention will be readily understood from the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings. As will be seen, when the parts are in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2 they are rigidly held in position for use; but'should'it be desired to fold or knock down the booth this may be accomplished by releasingthe hooks c sothat the hasps c, which engagethe staples on the tables-or desks 0, may be released therefrom, so as to permit the said tables to fold downward, at which time the hasps b of thecross-bars .Bmaybe treleasedvin a similar manneigwhenthe sides may be forced toward each other, causing the cross-bars to fold inward upon each other, as shown in Fig. 3. The reverse of this operation will place the parts in position shown'in Figs. 1 and 2 and in readiness for use.

I thusprovide abooth which is-inexpensive and simple in construction and which may be readily placed in positionfor use or folded compactly without disconnecting or entirely removing any of the parts when it is desired to transport or store the same.

The booth may in some instances have the compartments arranged in a circular manner instead of being placed in line with each other. In Fig. 5 is shown how this may be done by inclining the edges of the tables or desks which abut against the sides A of the compartments and the abutting edges of the two members of thecross-bars, so as to cause said sides to incline instead of being parallel with each other, in order that provision may be made for places, where it would not be convenient to have the compartments in line.

It is obvious that one or more curtains or doors may be provided to inclose the front of the booth, where the law requires it, and that a suitablecovering or backing may be provided at the rear of the booth. Either one of the cross-bars B may be dispensed with, if desired, and the desks or tables C may be arranged and secured in any suitable manner to the sides A, and any preferred-means may be used for securing the parts together, without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-- 1. In a folding or knockdown booth, the combination with two or more sides or panels, of cross-bars at the back comprising two members having their outer ends hinged to the sides and their inner ends hinged together so as to be opposed when in position for use and adapted to fold inward upon each other when not in use, means for locking the opposed hinged-ends of the cross-bars so as to prevent folding when the sides are separated for use, and a table or desk arranged between the sides or panels hingedto one ofsaid sides so as to swing across from side toside and serve as a support for preparing the ballots and as a brace for holding and retaining the sides separated, whereby said sides may be rigidly held apart or-folded closely together for transportation or storage, substantially as described.

2. In a folding or knockdown booth, the combination with two or more sides forming separate compartments, of cross-bars at the back arranged at the upper and lower rear portion of each compartment and comprising two members having their outer ends hinged to the-sides and their inner ends hinged together-so as to be opposed when in position for use and adapted to fold inward upon each other when not in use, means for locking the opposed hinged ends of the cross-bars so as to prevent folding when the sides are separated for use, a tableor desk hinged at one end to one of the sides so as to swing across from side to side and serve as a support for preparing the ballots and as a brace for holdin g and retaining the sides separated, together with means for securing the free end of said desk to the opposite side, whereby the said sides may be rigidly held apart for use or folded together for transportation orstorage, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES G. WEBER. \Vitnesses:

WERNER OPES, WM. R. MEnARIs. 

